A secretive visit by three senior Pakistani Army officers to Bangladesh, travelling on freshly issued one-year passports and scheduled to tour the sensitive Ramu military base in Cox’s Bazar, has sparked concern within India’s defence and intelligence circles, triggering backchannel engagement with Dhaka.
Brigadier Generals Nadeem Ahmed, Muhammad Talha and Saud Ahmed Rao landed in Dhaka last Saturday evening aboard Emirates flight EK586. Their arrival, at the formal invitation of the Bangladesh Army, coincides with mounting regional volatility and has raised red flags in Delhi owing to the unusual nature of their travel documents and their planned stop at Ramu Cantonment, a military base that Indian intelligence believes is fast emerging as a strategic hub for operations tied to the Arakan Army active in western Myanmar.
While officially described as part of a “military medical exchange”, the brief and tightly managed visit is now under heightened scrutiny for its potential strategic implications, especially for India's northeastern front.
According to Indian security officials, all three Pakistani officers carried newly minted machine-readable passports issued between April 30 and May 29 this year. None bore previous stamps, and each document is valid for just one year, unusual for regular service travel.
“These are not standard travel documents. They seem to be issued for a targeted, likely covert objective,” said an official in the Ministry of External Affairs familiar with regional military intelligence operations.
The Ramu base, where the officers are due this week, lies near the Myanmar border and is reportedly now serving as a logistical node for movements linked to the Arakan Army. Indian defence agencies worry the Pakistani presence, despite being billed as a medical corps visit, might mask deeper intentions to gather operational insight or establish links in a region known for insurgent activity.
“Ramu is not a random stop. It’s the nerve centre for movements close to India’s border. The Pakistani presence there cannot be taken lightly,” said an Indian intelligence officer tracking cross-border military manoeuvres.
Also read: Ex-BDR chief calls for attack on India's northeast
Upon arrival in Dhaka, the visiting officers were received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by senior defence officials from Bangladesh and personnel from the Pakistan High Commission. They were escorted to the Radisson Blu Hotel under heavy security, further underscoring the mission’s significance.
Their itinerary includes meetings with Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Medical Services, the Adjutant General’s office, and senior officers from other key military divisions. While the stated agenda focuses on medical cooperation, Indian observers suspect discussions could also cover joint training, intelligence exchanges, or logistical coordination.
“The tight-lipped handling of the visit, combined with mission-specific travel documents, suggests there may be more than meets the eye,” a former Indian diplomat said.
Indian authorities are particularly concerned over the potential for Islamabad to forge strategic linkages in Bangladesh that might impact India’s eastern security posture, especially amid rising insurgency threats in the Northeast and a volatile Myanmar border.
The Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Ministry have been briefed, and diplomatic outreach to Dhaka has reportedly begun to seek clarity over the purpose and scope of the Pakistani officers’ visit.
“This is not just about three officers making a courtesy call. It’s about the footprints of Pakistan’s military strategy touching India’s periphery,” the diplomat added.
Follow us
